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Sunday, December 20, 2009

5-hour Hat and Gaiter

[Reposted from my previous blog. The yarn used for this pattern has since been discontinued. Please substitute a super bulky yarn that knits to the correct gauge.]

Many thanks to Suzanne for being a patient model.

This hat and gaiter pattern is a quick and warm knit perfect for beginners or for those (like me) who need a quick and fast project. Knitting took 5 hours total. The hat is made for a 22-23" head. I can pull it firmly down over my ears and it fits great. I don't have tall hair, though. If you have tall hair you may want to increase the total length before decreasing or use the gaiter as a headband. If you have short and fine hair, or no hair like our Styrofoam model below, the gaiter will just look silly as a headband.

A conversation with a friend about reminded me that garter stitch is wider than stockinette and that one needs to increase/decrease appropriately to keep garter from flipping. I used this tip on both the hat and gaiter. On the hat I wanted the garter stitch portion to be wider since it goes around the wider part of the head. I knew that I wanted the band to be wide and cozy around my ears but I wanted the crown to be snug. Decreasing on the first row of stockinette would normally cause flipping up, but I trusted that the taller garter stitch band would counteract stockinette's pull and my big head would keep the rest in place. I was right! No flip here.

I used the same principle on the gaiter to induce flipping. I wanted the top part of the gaiter to flip up over my lower face when I needed it, but to flip down out of the way when I didn't. The garter stitch section here is one ridge shorter, plus I steam blocked half of the garter band in the flipped position so it would be more likely to fold down in front while still remaining upright on the back of the neck.

The explanation of the pattern is now officially longer than the patterns themselves. Onward!

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Yarn: Both the hat and gaiter can be made from one 8-oz. skein of Dyeabolical Unspun 2-ply roving/yarn> with plenty left over for a longer crown, longer gaiter, a giant pom-pom, ear flaps, ties, wristwarmers or just to keep on your desk to reach over and smoosh every so often.

Gauge: 9 stitches = 4", post steam blocking

Needle size: I used US 11 double points. I am a notoriously loose knitter. You may find it easier to get gauge on US 13.

Yes, you can do this on circulars. The gaiter was quick on circular, the hat a bit tighter, so I switched over to two sets of circulars to finish it up. I avoid dpns and almost always use two sets if circulars when things get tight.

If anyone starts doing this, i found that the hat was just a bit too short for most heads. I started the decreases at row 32 instead and the hat came out big enough for even my large-headed guys. Even with increasing length, I used less than one skein of Loops and Threads Charisma on both items, so less than 106 yards. I'm thinking about 90 yards total.

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About Me

Dyeabolical® specializes in hand dyed, hand painted yarns, spinning fibers and hand crafted soap. You can find Dyeabolical atwww.dyeabolical.comBLOG AUTHOR:Rachel - I own Dyeabolical. I used to do a little bit of a lot of different things, but now I do a lot of just a few things and most of those things are done in my kitchen. I dye yarn, dye fiber, spin, make soap, blend perfume, and knit. Always knitting. I am on Ravelry as lehcarstl You can email me at dyeabolicalyarns at gmail dot com.